Report: Sen. Dan Sullivan's Campaign Spent Thousands on Luxury Out-of-State Dining and Events
Key Takeaways
- •The Daily Mail's review of FEC filings found that Sullivan's campaign has spent close to $35,000 at restaurants outside Alaska since the start of March, including more than $7,000 at Lucille's Modern Chophouse, a Washington steakhouse that has not yet opened.
- •In the second fiscal quarter, the campaign spent roughly $28,000 on food, about four times the amount it spent within Alaska during the same period.
- •Sullivan's PAC Sullivan Victory paid nearly $27,500 for an event at The Phoenician resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the senator also traveled to a luxury California resort where "The Bachelorette" was filmed.
- •The spending disclosures surface as Alaskans face elevated costs, with gasoline averaging $4.83 per gallon this week and Juneau grocery prices running nearly 28 percent above the national average last year.
- •Sullivan will face Democrat Mary Peltola in November's ranked-choice general election after she edged him in Tuesday's open primary, and future quarterly FEC filings will show whether the out-of-state spending pattern continues.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) directed thousands of dollars from his re-election campaign's donor funds toward luxury dining and events outside Alaska, according to a Saturday article by The Daily Mail, which reviewed the senator's Federal Election Commission filings. Federal law bars the personal use of campaign money but allows donor funds to cover campaign-related purposes such as fundraising events, travel and meals, and requires committees to itemize those disbursements in the public reports the Mail reviewed.
Since the start of March, Sullivan's campaign has run up close to $35,000 at restaurants outside of Alaska, The Daily Mail reported. More than $7,000 of that went to Lucille's Modern Chophouse, a Washington steakhouse that has yet to open, according to the report. Sullivan has spent more than $13,000 at the venue since September 2025.
The senator has also been a repeat customer at established Washington spots, including the members-only 116 Club and the French restaurant Bistro Cacao, per the filings. In the second fiscal quarter, his campaign spent roughly $28,000 on food — about four times what it spent inside Alaska during the same period, according to The Daily Mail.
Sullivan's political action committees spent freely as well. Sullivan Victory, one of his PACs, put nearly $27,500 toward an event at The Phoenician, a resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. Sullivan also took a trip to a luxury California resort where "The Bachelorette" was filmed, The Daily Mail reported.
The spending details surface as Alaskans face punishing costs. A gallon of gas in the state averaged $4.83 this week, above the national figure, while Juneau grocery prices topped the national average by nearly 28 percent last year, according to the report.
"Dan Sullivan will always put himself and his special interest backers above Alaskans," Alaska Democratic Party Chairman Eric Croft told The Daily Mail.
Sullivan is now facing off against Democrat Mary Peltola in a competitive general election after she edged him in Tuesday's open primary. Sullivan, first elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2020, is seeking a third term, while Peltola previously held Alaska's at-large House seat from 2022 until January 2025. Alaska has used a single open primary since 2022, with the top four finishers advancing to a ranked-choice general election in November, and subsequent quarterly FEC filings will show whether the out-of-state spending pattern continues through the fall campaign.
